Ingredients for strong abv beer?

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mildewman

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Hi all, my first post here. I have made one batch of standard pale ale, now i would like to try making a batch of high abv beer.

Im planning to use...

1 x Mangrove Jacks pale ale pack (1.8kg)
1kg LDME
1kg brew enhancer
1kg dextrose
Yeast from the pale ale pack + sachet of Safbrew s-33

23liter brew.

Is this reasonable?
 
Just double up on the MJ Pale Ale. If you're adding a kilo of dextrose I don't think you'll need the brew enhancer.

What the heck is "brew enhancer?"

It's usually a mix of Maltodextrin and Dextrose. I've never seen brew enhancer in any of my LHBSs but I know they see it in beer kits you buy from big-box stores.
 
I made the brew up with the ingredients listed, heres how it went...

It turns out that safbrew-s33 was totally the wrong yeast for a high strength beer, its a flavor yeast not a high abv yeast - next brew im using mangrove jacks tripel (88% attenuation)

When i mixed in the DME the water was too hot, and it caramelised into three softball sized lumps. I had to put both hands into the wort (LOL!) and break it into bits with my fingers before it would dissolve. So much for sterile...

Getting the caramelised bits of DME to dissolve took 15 mins of intense stirring, by which time the wort was super aerated - allmost frothy. I think this may have resulted in a super quick ferment time - having pitched a sachet of s-33 and a sachet of the yeast that came with the kit, 4 days later the airlock had stopped bubbling and the sg was down from 1.07 to 1.02

A question - is it likely that the high amount of air dissolved in the wort caused the very quick fermentation ? If im aiming for an 8% beer, should i be deliberately oxygenating the wort before fermenting? (no o2 cylinder, just stirring and pouring from a height)

Its now stuck at 1.02, i should have some amalyse enzyme arriving today that should help thin it a bit. Im trying to brew beer thats as high abv as i can manage, not worried about what it tastes like.

Next brew im planning on using the same fermentables + mangrove jacks tripel yeast + mangrove jacks generic, hopefully wont have to resort to amalyse again...
 
I hear brews that are extract based frequently finish around 1.020. Maybe you could try one of the recipes the database? It might give you some more direction.
 
Im trying to brew beer thats as high abv as i can manage, not worried about what it tastes like.

With all due respect, what is the point of brewing if the taste isn't important?
If high alcohol content is all you are concerned with, why are you brewing beer instead of distilling liquor?
 
Price vs abv - im poor, trying to keep my booze bill as low as possible. I normally drink red wine, but thats too hard to make yourself, also drink RTD's , (alchopops), so im trying to brew beer thats 8 - 10 %
 
Price vs abv - im poor, trying to keep my booze bill as low as possible. I normally drink red wine, but thats too hard to make yourself, also drink RTD's , (alchopops), so im trying to brew beer thats 8 - 10 %

Depending on where you live, this can be a good enough reason - but why not consider something like apple cider, or ginger beer, or (dare I suggest it?) hard tea? I make all of these and frugality is definitely a reason, though I'd never stick with it if I didn't think they tasted good. I've never made a beer, but it seems so much more finicky in comparison.
 
Just to clarify, my weekly intake of booze is normally 2-3 bottles of red wine - im not a severe drinker. Just trying to keep expenditure as low as possible. And so far im quite enjoying learning about brewing beer. Reminds me of when i learned to grow pot, but legal :)

I like the happy farting sound of the airlock and the way my living room is full of malty smells.
 
Air is probably of no consequence. My beers tend to have 3 to 5 days of airlock activity then settle down. The gravity will likely drop a bit more without help. Give it a few days more.

I'd say Frank over Charlie from always sunny
 
Just to clarify, my weekly intake of booze is normally 2-3 bottles of red wine - im not a severe drinker. Just trying to keep expenditure as low as possible. And so far im quite enjoying learning about brewing beer. Reminds me of when i learned to grow pot, but legal :)

I like the happy farting sound of the airlock and the way my living room is full of malty smells.

I brew to save money as well but I'd rather drink 2x 5% beers that taste awesome than a 10% beer that tastes like petrol. I don't see how the big beer is any cheaper to make if you need to use twice the amount of ingredients to make it? Why not just make twice as much beer at lower strength and have it taste great? Nothing wrong with a 5-6% beer, you can still have a good time and get loaded on those.
 
I would let it sit for a minimum of 3 weeks for a higher ABV beer before I would even think about bottling it. I just bottled a Tripel I made in April after 3 months in Primary. It carbed up in just 2 weeks. This is one of my favorite recipes and the batch usually evaporates quickly. SG was 1.09 and FG was 1.0. Also, when brewing higher ABV beers (1.06+ SG), use two sachets of dry yeast. Usually by the 5th day the activity will be down to almost nothing but the yeast are still chewing away.

View attachment Belgian Tripel.pdf
 
You know you don't have to brew awful tasting beer to make beer that's strong right? Also, making wine or cider is actually EASIER than brewing beer. It's as simple as buying a few gallons of apple juice and adding yeast to it. If you want to get drunk on the cheap all you have to do is make some cider Frank.



Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to go have a Milk Steak for lunch.
 
if you like to get drunk brew cider. every cider brewer i know is a piss tank. i hold no offense lol.
 
I made an IPL with 3 kg light LME, .5kg amber dme, 1 oz ahtanum hops, 1kg rogers golden yellow sugar, lager yeast and it came out to 7.9%.
It tasted like I was pouring 2 shots of vodka in every glass and after 3 glasses I was loopy. The hangover was brutal with this stuff too. I ended up naming it Skullcracker IPL.

The result was that I never brew with sugar or dextrose any more. For a higher abv I add more malt.
 
Now that ive had a few sessions on my first batch (MJ pale ale + 500gm cane sugar) im starting to wonder if i need to brew 8-10% beer at all. Just spent 3 hours drinking in the sun, if it was any stronger i would be plotzed. Batches 2 and 3 were both high abv (still maturing in shed), for batch 4 i suspect ill go back to a standard brew.
 
Price vs abv - im poor, trying to keep my booze bill as low as possible. I normally drink red wine, but thats too hard to make yourself, also drink RTD's , (alchopops), so im trying to brew beer thats 8 - 10 %

The first alcohol I ever brewed was some prison wine. It was cheap to make and about 20% abv; I bought a gallon of apple juice, added 3 cups or so of sugar, and I used a fruit wine yeast. It took 2 weeks to fully ferment, and another couple weeks in the fridge to clear up and start tasting right. I racked it twice with good results. Straight from the fermenting bottle it was very yeasty, dry, and had some off flavors. I'd say if you just want alcohol on a budget, do something similar to that. 2 glasses gets me drunk!
 
Ow my ed! - last night i opened the first bottle made with the recipe in OP (about 8%), and it tastes like beer, looks like beer, correct carbonation, but just too strong. Had one glass, head was buzzing, managed 2/3 of another glass, was drunk and woke up with a hangover. Batch 3 is 10%, not sure how im gonna drink it. Currently fermenting a williamswarn pale ale + 1kg DME +1kg dex, Danstar Nottingham yeast, 1.050 OG. Should end up at 6% which im hoping is my sweet spot for ABV.
 
If you really want to save money and get a cheap buzz. Go to the liquor store and buy some Grain Alcohol. The ingredients you are spending good money on to make bad beer probably cost more!
 
Spirits just arent ergonomic for me. If i use a mixer i get way drunk too fast, and neat sipping quality costs too much. Anyway ive got the brewing mania now - really enjoying brewing beer, and ill improve with practice.
 
If you really want to save money and get a cheap buzz. Go to the liquor store and buy some Grain Alcohol. The ingredients you are spending good money on to make bad beer probably cost more!

That^

Spirits just arent ergonomic for me. If i use a mixer i get way drunk too fast, and neat sipping quality costs too much. Anyway ive got the brewing mania now - really enjoying brewing beer, and ill improve with practice.

I've seen handles of (cheap) vodka under $10. They may be "only" 70 proof (35% ABV). Great in a glass of juice. Any juice.
 
This is the cheapest to make alcohol that tastes good. But it's not very fast. http://skeeterpee.com/recipe

The recipe calls for a massive amount of yeast to overcome the preservatives in the lemon juice and the low pH, but I've had good luck with one packet of white wine yeast by just adding the lemon juice a little at a time. (one quart at the beginning, another quart a week later, the 3rd quart a week after that)
 
Spirits just arent ergonomic for me. If i use a mixer i get way drunk too fast, and neat sipping quality costs too much. Anyway ive got the brewing mania now - really enjoying brewing beer, and ill improve with practice.

But you haven't brewed "beer" yet.....

If you want a high alcohol beer, brew a real recipe.....
 
This thread gives me the giggless...
Welcome to the forum.
Älmost everyone brews for a personal reason.
I don't remember why I started twenty some years ago....
It is a very rewarding hobby...
Brew what keeps you happy...
With time you'll get better and zero in on your recipes...
Salud!!
 
One of my first high gravity, high alcohol content experiments was with mead.

I made the mistake of believing the yeast would produce an 8-10% ABV and stop right there. Didn't realize, at the time, a higher gravity would yield a higher alcohol content. The yeast finally gave up around a calculated 14.1% ABV as measured on my hydrometer. That's pretty "hot" and doesn't lend itself to a pint glass very well ...

Then, realization dawned that I like my drinkable ale around 4-5% ABV, more or less, and adding just a bit of honey could enhance the color and taste while bumping up ABV. Brewing is like cooking. Moderation will probably give better results, but the mistakes are still going to be fun because you learn something in the process.
 
I made the brew up with the ingredients listed, heres how it went...

It turns out that safbrew-s33 was totally the wrong yeast for a high strength beer, its a flavor yeast not a high abv yeast - next brew im using mangrove jacks tripel (88% attenuation)

If all you care about is alcohol and price :confused: go with turbo yeast or get a high attenuating yeast strain and use the overbuild starter method so that you never have to buy yeast again.

When i mixed in the DME the water was too hot, and it caramelised into three softball sized lumps. I had to put both hands into the wort (LOL!) and break it into bits with my fingers before it would dissolve. So much for sterile...

Getting the caramelised bits of DME to dissolve took 15 mins of intense stirring, by which time the wort was super aerated - allmost frothy. I think this may have resulted in a super quick ferment time - having pitched a sachet of s-33 and a sachet of the yeast that came with the kit, 4 days later the airlock had stopped bubbling and the sg was down from 1.07 to 1.02

Most kits have you boil after adding or while adding the extract. Before the boil you don't have to worry about sanitizing. The only time I use extract is for starters (sometimes really big ones)... it's a sticky mess. I've had good luck putting the extract in a flask and pouring the boiling water on top, swirling then reboiling.

A question - is it likely that the high amount of air dissolved in the wort caused the very quick fermentation ? If im aiming for an 8% beer, should i be deliberately oxygenating the wort before fermenting? (no o2 cylinder, just stirring and pouring from a height)

Yeast need dissolved oxygen to start out (especially if you aren't pitching enough). Above about 8% "general" practice seems to be O2 at pitch and O2 in 12 hours. You should at least aerated by pouring or mixing.

Its now stuck at 1.02, i should have some amalyse enzyme arriving today that should help thin it a bit. Im trying to brew beer thats as high abv as i can manage, not worried about what it tastes like.

Next brew im planning on using the same fermentables + mangrove jacks tripel yeast + mangrove jacks generic, hopefully wont have to resort to amalyse again...

If you are trying to be cheap and strong stop looking at the kits and go into the recipe section. No need to waste so much money on yeast, find a strain that you want to use and grow it up enough that you are not pitching multiple packets.
 
Turned out the cork sniffer snobs who described my self created brews as "bad beer" and "not real beer" were wrong. All they needed was 4-6 weeks in the shed maturing - they taste good now.
 
Each to their own mate. At least you like the end result.

I wouldn't call people on here "cork sniffing snobs".... it's a homebrew beer forum with people who enjoy brewing quality, delicious beer as a hobby...regardless of the cost, level of experience or investment in equipment.

That means someone throwing the majority of the things brewers aspire to (the perfect balance between body, maltyness, hoppiness, dryness etc) obsessing on alcohol content only, will no doubt make those truly passionate about brewing beers that taste good to them (as everyone has different preferences) ask why bother.

But as I said, each to their own. If you are happy with the result then you are a successful homebrewer!

All the best.
 

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